Turning Back the Sunset
by Xx-Crucis
Summary: A girl from Edo barely manages to flee Japan after losing everything in an attack by Akumas. However, she never knew that she was running headlong into a world full of dangers in her attempt to escape. First fanfic! Rated T for swearing. Eventual KandaXOC.
1. Chapter 1: Changes in Edo

Hello everyone! :)

As this is my first time posting something on , I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading the product of this… well, rather scattered idea that's been brewing around my mind for awhile. ^^ Please feel free to point out any mistakes or places for improvement that you find; constructive criticism is accepted with open arms here.

(Note: Although I've posted this story as KandaXOC, please remember that it's _eventual_ KandaXOC –Kanda doesn't make an appearance in this chapter, and I don't want to jump straight into things if I can avoid it.)

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man in any way, shape, or form.

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Ch 1: Changes in Edo

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The darkened sky above was completely blanketed by a thick layer of gray clouds, clouds that seemed to glow ever more ominously with that eerie film of ghostly blue seeping out from the precious few patches where they thinned out ever so slightly. It was almost oppressive, the way that the sky itself seemed to loom over the small town, crushing the tiny, insignificant buildings in its spectral embrace. Frosty winds swirled through the empty streets wildly, sending the crumbling leaves that were strewn all over the ground tumbling into the air once more.

"Good evening, Earl."

Yagari Hoshino was a shrewd man. And like all shrewd men, he was an opportunist. However, Yagari differed from the average opportunist in the way that he had a… an instinct, of sorts, that led him to make deals that constantly gave him the upper hand; deals that always, always managed to benefit him in the end.

… But this time, Yagari wasn't so sure about his intuition. His hands felt cold and sweaty under the smooth texture of the silken gloves, and he clasped them together tightly as he sat down in front of the Earl. Whether that was a subconscious effort on his part to calm himself down or to prevent his hands from trembling, though... that was debatable.

"Ah… hello there, Mr. Hoshino."

If he played his cards right, then the rest of his life would be completely assured: money, riches, fame, whatever he wanted. It most certainly wasn't the first time he'd found himself in a situation like this, one where he had to lay everything on the line, but…

…

It was definitely the first time his heart had pounded like this, with fear swirling at the forefront of his mind. Yagari hastily dropped his eyes away from the Earl as the suffocating pressure in his chest became almost too much to bear. Was it, perhaps, the sensitivity of the information he had come upon? Or was it due to the constant doubt that his sources were incorrect, that something like this _couldn't_ happen? Or maybe, maybe it was because of _her…_?

…

… He hadn't made the deal yet. There was still time for him to back out of this, to make some excuse and never come back again… to continue living his life normally as if he'd never heard of any of this, as if nothing had ever happened… yes, yes, just go back home and take up his usual job, never contact the Earl again…

But…

_Never let it be said that Yagari Hoshino has backed down from anything._

"Earl," His throat had never felt so dry and raspy, and it had never been this hard for him to talk during a round of sensitive negotiations. Yagari swallowed hard, steeling his nerves and hardening his resolve for what he was about to do, "I… I have a proposition for you…"

…

The last leaf fluttered down from the wilting branch of the tree standing outside, barely alighting on the wooden floorboards before a polished leather shoe stomped down on it, crushing it completely. The nimble wind darted over as the footsteps gradually faded, gingerly gathering up the remains of the leaves and flitting away with it, scattering the tiny pieces of the leaf to all four corners of the world.

* * *

"Yee-haw! Now _this_ is the life, I'll tell ya'!"

Bright sunlight shone down warmly upon the small ship that was cheerfully bobbing up and down on the waves, its white sails pulled taut by a gusty breeze that had decided to lend a hand to the boisterous sailors. The waters of the sea stretched on for as far as the eye could see, before finally vanishing at the faraway horizon… without as much as a speck of land in sight.

It would've been awe-inspiring, really, if this boat wasn't _shaking_ so much…

The raven haired girl let out a pitiful whimpering sound as she flopped back down into her hammock, the sickish green tinge to her skin prominent as ever. Groaning, the young woman blearily lifted a hand over her forehead, trying to block out the intense glare of the sunlight that was beaming through the blurry glass of the window fixed to the side of the cabin.

"Not feelin' so well, lassie?"

'Lassie' rolled over onto her side, curling up as best she could in a swinging hammock to appease her traitorous stomach that was still in the middle of rebellion, "Sh-shut up, Hisoka…"

The rugged man made a 'tsk'-ing noise, scratching at his stubby beard, "We've on'y been out 'ere for a couple 'a hours, and yer already like this? China's a long way off, lassie… Man, the cap'n is gonna be _mad_ if he finds out someone who can't earn their keep is on board."

The girl twitched, "Maybe…" she gritted out through her teeth, "Maybe you lot would prefer it if I... alerted the authorities to your… ahem, cargo?"

It was almost comical, the way the blood swiftly drained from the man's face and left him with a shaken, pale look, "… How… how the _hell_ didja know-"

"I have my ways," She blanched when the ship suddenly hit a particularly rough wave, being bounced up by the sudden force, "_Crap_. This… urg, I swear, I'm never… never, _ever…_ going to get on a boat again… when we get to China…"

The man shook his head at her pityingly, "Lassie, if ya get seasick this easily, ya shouldn't even be on a boat in the first place."

The girl made a frustrated sound, keeping her mouth shut for a brief moment as the urge to vomit came over her… again. When it passed, she let out a long breath, "… How was I supposed to know? None of… none of the other trips I've been on were this bad…"

"They were probably short 'uns, then." The man shrugged, although the girl couldn't see from her current position, "Well, the waters 'ere are pretty feisty by any standards, I guess… but still. How didja know what we're carryin' ta China…?"

The young woman wiped away a few strands of ebon hair sticking to her sweaty forehead, taking in a shuddering breath as her stomach felt like it should take another shot at doing a bout of somersaults, "I… know that… no ships… go to other… countries… from Edo… illegal. Only reason… profit… illegal profit… drugs…"

Hisoka nodded, figuring out what the seasick girl was trying to say from piecing together her scattered words, "I see… not bad then, lassie, blackmailin' the cap'n inta takin' ya along-"

_**BOOM!**_

The entire ship sudden shook violently as it tipped over dangerously, coming frightfully close to flipping over in the waters. Hisoka stumbled, his large frame crashing against the doorway with a thud and causing a spectacular purple bruise to bloom over his back as he loosened the string on his sailor's tongue, biting out a string of profanities. The girl, on the other hand, was unceremoniously dumped out of her hammock altogether, rolling across the ground until the blankets and pillows, combined with the various possessions of the other sailors, finally stopped her momentum.

"_What the fuck is goin' on out there?"_ Hisoka barked out, his temper irritable no thanks to the pain sprouting in his back, "There 'ere absolutely no signs of any storm comin' on!"

"M… m-m-monster!"

The girl, whose mind had simply been hazed over by a pounding headache when she'd been tossed out of the hammock, suddenly became rigid at the word 'monster'.

Hisoka didn't pay any more attention to the disheveled young woman sprawled in a heap on the ground, instead turning heel and sprinting outside as fast as he could, his gut telling him that there was something _seriously_ wrong out there. A ship never, _never_ tilted like this unless it was caught in some titanic hell of a motherfuckin' tempest, one which they would've noticed coming a long way off. Getting snagged in a giant godforsaken whirlpool was another possibility, but last he checked, giant whirlpools didn't spring up in the ocean out of the blue.

… The girl was still sitting in the room, listening mutely as the mummer of voices outside slowly gained an edge of panic to them… and that was when the screams started. Those haunting shrieks of horror and pain, combined with the sickening crashes of bodies breaking through wood. The terrifying, horrifying noises sounded closer and closer to her, accompanied by the loud snaps of breaking bones.

Trembling, she slowly pushed her body upright, the sudden numbing coldness in her own bones making her limbs feel like lead and making her dread what she would find once she stepped outside the safety of the cabin… no. No. If… if those monsters outside right now… if those monsters were really the ones she'd ran into just mere days ago…

… then there was no place safe. No place safe…

The silver chain around her neck felt frostier than ever, the necklace digging into her skin as she convulsed uncontrollably again. A single strand of chains hung down on her front, from her throat to her chest, the links clinking ominously as she struggled to drag herself outside, as she neared the cabin door... Was it just her imagination, or was the necklace… quivering?

… She opened the door.

-and immediately hit the ground, a flash of light singing the tips of her raven hair as the deadly beam soared into the cabin room with a deafening 'bang!' Her breath suddenly hitched in her throat, her previous seasickness all but forgotten as her amber eyes involuntarily locked onto the grotesque figure of a grayish rounded creature, her eyes glossed over the cannon spikes that jutted out from its body and fixated themselves on the creepy, unnerving mask-like face on its middle… a face that was all too familiar for her liking…

Dust. The girl blinked as the wind abruptly picked up and she received a face full of the powdery substance, almost causing her to sneeze until she remembered and she froze. If her memories were accurate, if she remembered correctly… if she remembered correctly, then when that monster's attacks hit someone, then-

"AAAAAAAAAGH!"

Unbidden, her amber orbs were drawn to the horrific sight of a man falling down as one of those lights hit him straight on in the chest, and those black stars were sprouting all over his face, his arms, and then… and then…

…

The human-shaped mound of dust was quickly swept away by a black wave that leaped over the edge of the boat and reached as far as it could onto the deck. It retreated as quickly as it had come, sliding back over the railings in a flash and leaving absolutely nothing in its wake.

Bitter liquid rose in the back of her throat before she gagged, stomach heaving and automatically throwing up on the deck as everything became too much for her. The trauma of the past few days, mixed in with the sight before her hit her at that moment, and salty tears prickled in her eyes as she felt herself being consumed by fear, by pain, by hate…

Loosely, from out the corner of her of her peripheral vision, she could see that there were at least a dozen other monsters floating around in the air as well, adjusting those cannon like protrusions, aiming and shooting out their pink-tinged jets of destruction at various sides of the ship…

_Why…?_

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as her eyes finally caught the grisly silhouette of one of the monster floating right over her, twitching its cannons so that all of them were aimed directly at her. Light began to materialize at those tips, growing larger and larger as the monster gathered energy for another of its attacks, another of those deadly blasts that held the power to reduce her to dust. The back of her throat was burning again, and everything in front of her eyes swam together for a moment as it was overlaid with another similarly devastating and macabre scene…

… A time of when she was still in Edo, sitting in her parlor, and those same monsters had appeared… destroying everything within their path with no trace of mercy or hesitation… She remembered… oh, she remembered, alright… she still remembered her mother's shattered cries under that heavy blanket of fire and smoke billowing over her home…

A pair of amber eyes watched listlessly, hazing over as the burst of light expanded and swelled in epic proportions directly on top of her. The wind thrown from the force of the energy rippled through her hair, whipping it back and sending it snapping around her face in all directions...

_I never wanted to know about any of this… I just wanted to… get away from it all…_

The stinging sea water splashed over her body as another wave sloshed aboard the ship messily, hungrily lapping away at everything its reach could encompass, trying to drag everything into the darkness and depths of the ocean forever.

… _I wish none of this had ever happened…_

She could still see it within her mind's eye. An explosion. The screams that had immediately followed. Demonic flames flickering in the background, consuming everything with a blood-red blaze, torrents streaming everywhere, licking away at the wood until it was reduced to naught but ashes. Running, stumbling, everyone scattering, trying to find her mother in that chaotic mess, except –except there was nothing left, nothing but-

The chain-necklace around her neck was as cold as ice against her clammy skin.

A burst of light rocked her world as the monster released the energy it gathered at her, and suddenly everything turned white. The young woman slowly blinked at the strange sensation crossing over her body, making her feel like she was floating, floating in nothingness, but somehow comfortable at the same time… was this what death felt like? Tendrils of warmth overflowing in her body, rejuvenating her frozen body-

_I wish none of this had ever happened._

Her eyes flew open as _something_ rushed through her, the surge hitting her like a ton of bricks. It was on a completely different scale than the warmth that had been softly seeping through her before, it… it was wilder and more _powerful_, for lack of a better term... She _aware_, as if she'd been half-slumbering through everything for the first half of her life, and had finally woken up now...

The chain that was wrapped around her neck glowed brightly, angry red marks appearing on pale skin under the silver links laced together.

"I…" The light around her suddenly cleared away, leaving her slightly dazed and disoriented, but no less aware to the presence of the horrendous monsters around her. The hideous monsters were still circling the ship and bringing death with each blow, bringing death with each vivid shot from its cannons. Dangers. Her mind immediately kicked into high gear, and _words_, words that felt so _right_ yet she had absolutely no inkling of before, sprung to her automatically, just like the liquid fire that was burning through her veins right now, "First Day: I reject!"

As soon as those words left her lips, black lines immediately flared into existence around the monsters, rapidly tracing out the tall frames of giant cubes that encased them in less than a second. A clear, shimmering barrier flickered lightly, acting as the sides of the cube as soon as the black lines had connected, and then–

The girl jerked back, a flash of searing pain razing through her body, and she dropped to the deck, panting, her breath coming out in short, erratic gasps-

–a scream. A gruesome, guttural scream that started off a low wail at first, but quickly turned into a shriek, a howl of _pain_, a bellow of excruciating torment and endless suffering…

It took a while for her mind to discern the fact that the monsters were screaming.

The monsters. Screaming.

… It took even longer for her to realize that her mouth was open, and that she, too, was screaming.

It was with morbid fascination that she watched, watched as the outer layer of those monsters were peeled away only to reveal a shiny black surface underneath, which unraveled and disintegrated just as the armor-like outer layer did. She watched them writhe, writhe with unparalleled agony as they swiftly lost their bulky figures and their hulking bodies, their obsidian flesh and pitch-black blood being stripped away and whittled down to gleaming white bone–

–She almost threw up again when more and more of its bones became visible as the monsters continued to crumble in their cubes, revealing the skeleton of a human.

The steady stream of dark particles flowing from the monsters' blood, flesh, and armor disappeared as they were sucked into the shimmering walls of the cubes, but the skeletons…

… the skeletons…

One of them, the girl duly noted, wasn't merely thrashing around in pain. One of them… the bleached-white jaws on the skull were moving.

"_Thank you…"_

Her eyes widened at the unexpected message, and the skeletons exploded into fine white dust. Was she hallucinating? The monster, why… why would it thank her? It was confusing, it was… was…

… Something was rising in the back of her throat again. Something sweet.

The girl coughed harshly into her hand, feeling a warm liquid splatter onto her palms and fingertips. When her coughing fit receded and she pulled away-

Blood.

She was coughing up blood.

A sudden wave of dizziness hit her, _hard_, at the sudden realization, and she slumped down again, another bout of coughs hitting her once more as a piece of wood sticking out roughly jammed into her side. There were so many black spots dancing in front of her eyes, and she felt so… unusually… detached…

"-ng on! Guys, get o'er here, it's alright! 'S all over now!"

Something loomed in front of her eyes, and, try as she might, she simply couldn't find the strength to struggle or fight anymore. The flames that had been fueling her re-encounter with the monsters were gone now. Was this how she was going to die…?

… No. Wait.

A still-functional, more perceptive section of her mind secretly whispered that something was familiar about the one standing before her right now, the person that was bending down and gathering her up to –ow!

Blood filled her mouth from her body being jostled by the harsh movement, the ship rocking dangerously again. She did her best to ignore the cascade of scarlet droplets that flew out from her lips.

"-ssie? Lassie, ya still 'ere?"

… _Hisoka._

"Hi…" She licked her lips, swallowing, trying to ease the scratching and tearing in her throat and the _pain_ that twisted inside her body as she tried to talk, "Hi… so…"

"Ya saved us, lassie," The man's bass voice barely penetrated through the thick fog that seemed to surround her mind at the moment. It was… soft. Hisoka was rarely gentle… "Ya saved us all. Don't worry, we've got some med'cine onboard, so ya ain't gonna die… you ain't gonna go 'round dyin' on me now, ya hear?"

His voice… it was drifting farther and farther away. And there were so many more blurry faces in the background…

… she was so very, very tired right now… and her body hurt like _hell_…

…

The girl's amber eyes fluttered closed as her body reached its limits, and she finally let go of the iron grip she had on her consciousness, spiraling into darkness until she knew no more.

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… **And so the little ship, beaten and battered, ragged and worse for the wear… bravely sailed on in the waters, in the treacherous waters. They never knew that, soon after their near-death encounter, no other ships would dare to sail upon these waters again. They never know that no other ships would ever survive this same voyage… until many years later.**

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Yagari was a troubled man. First, his negotiations with the Earl didn't go well. He'd even stubbornly stormed off in the middle of their meeting like an idiot, which, in hindsight, was a stupid move. An extremely stupid move. Come to think of it, why did he do that, anyways? His temper hadn't flared up in a long time…

… Considering everything, though, he was lucky to be even alive after that stunt. It was all by the grace of the magnanimous Earl, of course.

But being alive was probably the only positive thing in his life right now. His wife, his dear Yume-_chan_, had been dead and buried when he returned from his latest negotiation. His daughter was gone as well. His house was in shambles, almost looking like it had been torn apart violently and burned down. None of the servants he'd employed were left.

… Surely this would have nothing to do with his meeting with the Earl that went terribly wrong?

Thick clouds of cigarette smoke curled around his messy ebon locks mockingly as he took an especially long drag and sighed, worries and troubles cluttering his mind. Leaning back, he tried to relax against the horribly scratched cloth of his velvet chair in a futile attempt. The mahogany desk that usually stood proudly in front of him had been overturned and broken in several places, and his eyes somberly wandered over the smoldering wreckage that remained of his –once– great mansion.

Was this his punishment for those underground deals he'd made to get his hands on that information?

Sitting there in the smog-filled ruins of the former Hoshino estate, Yagari made an important, life-changing decision. He'd just lost everything. He had nothing left. He was going to go back to the Earl and re-negotiate, hope that the Earl would accept his heavily lowered terms this time. The Earl was the only one he could strike a deal with now, so… no matter what the cost, he was going to earn back everything he'd lost… and much, much more.

This he swore he was going to accomplish, or his name wasn't Yagari Hoshino.

* * *

"Hey, hey, was there really any need to send Akumas to take care of that broker's family? I thought that backing people into a corner wasn't your style."

Tyki shrugged. Or rather, his shoulders twitched a little… well, as much as they could when Road draped her arms around him and clamped down tightly. "He had some rather sensitive information. Honestly, I'm pretty surprised that he managed to get his hands on it at all... He would probably make a good asset; not all brokers have the same connections he does, and he has somewhat of a… _reputation_ around these parts. That should make it easier for him to get things done his way around Edo if we provide him with the proper finances. According to our instructions, that is."

The gray-skinned little girl pouted cutely, swinging her body over the plush sofa the tall Noah was reclining in, "I don't like him~" she whined in a sing-song voice.

The older Noah's eye twitched at her response, "… Never, ever say that in front of Sheril when he's around. We still need some brokers around, and your instant dislike of over half the ones we employ isn't exactly helping."

Road openly laughed, shuffling around so that one of the fancy plush pillows was resting in her arms as she made herself comfortable next to her 'uncle'. "Alright, alright... Still, I don't see what's so special about that broker."

Tyki made an absent-minded 'hm'-ing sound, crossing one leg over the other, "I only know a few things, since the Earl hasn't disclosed to us all the details yet, but… My impression… is that he only sees the wealth in front of his eyes and is easily manipulated."

"So…" Road cocked her head innocently, dark eyes shining brightly, "By that, do you mean that he's just another broker?"

It was Tyki's turn to laugh now, and he ruffled the top of her head affectionately, ignoring the small squeal that came from the little girl and the ensuing '_whoosh'_ of the pillow that flew towards his face.

"Yes. That's exactly what I mean."

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I'm not very sure if my portrayal of Tyki and Road at the last bit ended up 'in-character', so I'll gladly accept all the help and the tips I can get on keeping characters… well, in character. o_o" Some things are left deliberately a little loose-ended and vague here, but those will be exploited later on in the story.

I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review and tell me what you think about this so far! Thank you for reading! :D


	2. Chapter 2: Arrival in China

Hello, everyone. :D

Firstly, thank you to everyone who reviewed!( Especially KiraraGoesMeow, for telling me how to put the lines in. XD) Thank you very much for the encouragements, and I hope that I won't disappoint you with this next chapter.

Also, I'm going to be in China for roughly 2 months starting the end of next week. In hindsight, starting a story right now probably isn't a very good idea... . I probably won't have access to computers there, but I'll do my best to continue writing! ^^ Expect a new chapter either sometime early next week or late July.

Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man in any way, shape, or form.

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Chapter 2: Arrival in China

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"So… I 'gess this is it, then, lassie."

A few seagulls flew over the harbor, catching the golden afternoon sun on their wings as they gyrated in the sky. People hurried back and forth along the creaking walkway that stretched over the shallow waters to the wreckage of a boat, carrying in new repairing supplies and carting out suspicious crates from the small ship's hull.

"Yeah…" The pale-looking girl brushed back a few strands of raven hair and adjusted the small cloth bag slung over her shoulder. Coarse, baggy clothes the sailors had graciously donated to her completely swamped her petite form, not that she was complaining. They successfully hid the cuts and bruises she'd gathered from… from her sailing experience.

The tall man grunted, "Make sure yeh' keep an eye ou' at all times, don' let anyone cheat ya…"

She giggled, "… Y'know, you're such a big softie under that gruff exterior. Who knew that you were such a worrywart?"

Hisoka growled, the weathered sailor mumbling under his breath as he reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette.

"Well, we made 'te trip," he rummaged around for a lighter, "We're in China now, lassie. So, watcha' gonna do 'ere?"

A thoughtful look entered the girl's amber orbs, "I don't know, really. I just wanted to… no, I _needed_ to get away from Edo… I never actually thought much about what I was going to do once I left, though."

The man blinked, "Ya mean ya have no plans at all?"

"Nope!" she chirped.

"How are ya gonna survive out 'ere, then?" Hisoka leaned back against the wooden boards of the docked ship behind him, "Ya ain't got no expenses, ya can't even speak the lang'age-"

"Actually… about that," the girl smiled, "I'm thinking of finding a job as a translator, since I can speak four languages."

The man's eyes bugged out and he choked on his cigarette, "F-four…?"

"My dad was pretty big on my education," She murmured by way of explanation, "So… I don't think I'll have too much trouble surviving around here. Thanks for the concern, though."

Hisoka shook his head, "How the hell didja learn _four_ freakin' lang'ages in fuckin' _Edo?_" he asked, utterly mystified and completely bewildered.

"Ah, well…" The young woman smiled again, "That's a secret."

"Tch," The burly man bit down on his cigarette, a little harder than he intended to. The bitter taste of tobacco filled his mouth, and he spat out a glob of it into the waters, "Alright then, I won' ask. Still, you be careful out there… I've got this bad feelin' ever since those… those monsters attacked us."

A shadow fell over her eyes at that, and the girl lapsed into silence, looking down at the wooden boards beneath her feet that swung lightly as the men ran back and forth, barking out orders in rapid Mandarin.

Hisoka sighed, straightening from his lazy slouch and setting a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Just… watch yerself, lassie. I wouldn' wanna see ye get hurt real bad like that again."

The girl tried to smile reassuringly, but it was more of a pained grimace as she recalled the total agony she'd been in for most of the trip.

The sailor tossed the still-smoking stub of his cigarette into the water and retracted his hand from the throw, watching as it sank below the water's surface and bobbed up to the surface again. "… 'M gonna set sail again, soon as our lil' darlin' 'ere is all fixed up. Ya sure ya don't wanna join the crew?"

She shook her head, the smile on her face more genuine this time, "Nah, I'll pass. I certainly don't want to be lumped together with you guys when the authorities find you. The prospect of going to jail isn't very attractive to me, thank you very much."

Hisoka let out a loud bark of laughter, secretly glad that the girl had some spine to her now that she wasn't bedridden (well, hammock-ridden) anymore, "That's rich! We've been doin' this for years, and there ain't no authorities that found us yet! Ain't gonna ever happen, either!"

The duo were interrupted by an irritated yell, "Oi, Hisoka! Hurry up and haul yer arse o'er here, yeh've been on yer break long enough!"

"Well, looks like I've gotta get goin' now." The man cracked his neck, stretching himself out as he prepared for the heavy manual labor that was waiting for him aboard his 'darling' ship, "Take care o' yerself, lassie."

"… I will," Amber eyes gazed into the fierce brown ones of the sailor, "You'd better take care of yourself too, Hisoka. The waters… they aren't safe anymore."

"When have they ever been?" Said sailor mused rhetorically to himself.

The girl scowled, "I'm serious, Hisoka. Those monsters… what if they appear again?"

"Don' worry 'bout me, lassie," It was now the sailor's turn to make an attempt at a reassuring smile, and he failed spectacularly as well, "The crew an' I, we can take care o' erselves, so don't ya fret o'er us."

She frowned, but didn't press further… much as she wanted to. There was no way for her to change the mind of the entire crew, and, deep down, she knew that Hisoka was a sailor first and foremost. He wouldn't listen to a paranoid girl, no matter what had happened on the trip here…

… but still. Even though she'd survived the trip here… it… it was kind of strange, but she still couldn't shake off the feeling that her troubles weren't over yet.

… Maybe she _was_ a little too paranoid for her own good.

The links of her chain-necklace clinked together with a soft jingle as the young woman finally turned away from the dock and began trudging into town, refusing to glance back at the merry crew of sailors making repairs on their ship… a ship that would soon be resting on the bottom of the ocean floor for all eternity.

* * *

It had been so long since she'd stood smack dab in the middle of a busy marketplace. People hustled back and forth along the streets in a busy rush, each occupied with their own tasks. Children played along the sides of the dirt road, frolicking at the edges and taking care to steer clear of the market rush. A horse-drawn cart barreled down the middle of the street, kicking up a cloud of dust with no one even the slightest bit perturbed or bothered by it. Perhaps it was a common occurrence?

The girl's hand slammed down on the tabletop with a resounding 'thwack.' Stupid mosquito.

Ignoring the strange looks she'd gotten from the other inhabitants of the small tea house, she wiped off the palm of her hand on the edge of the glossy table and reached for her tea cup again. The green tea she was drinking right now wasn't quite as good as the one she usually drank, but nonetheless had quite a refreshing taste. Especially considering that she was drinking tea under the sweltering heat waves that were radiating from a practically blistering summer sun.

She tipped her head back and downed the last dregs of her tea in a single gulp.

"Ah…" The girl sighed contentedly, "That really hits the spot!"

Done with her tea and fully refreshed, the girl stood up and prepared to leave. Upon seeing this, the server on the other side of the room promptly hurried over and started jabbering away in Mandarin.

"-can't just leave like this, lady! You still need to pay for that pot of tea!"

The raven-haired girl sweat-dropped at the wild gestures he was making. Right. She hadn't found herself a job yet… Geez, she really had to start paying attention to her spendings now that she wasn't in Edo anymore…

"Um… I don't have any money on me." she admitted sheepishly, automatically adopting the same dialect that the server was speaking in, not that anyone would notice.

The server's jaw dropped open at that, the towel slung over his shoulder almost falling to the ground comically, "_Excuse me? _Oh, I_ knew_ this would happen! It always does, when some hobo comes waltzing into the _best _tea house in_-"_

"I have something else, though," The girl pulled off the silver ring on her finger and held it out to him, "Here. Is this enough?"

The server eyed it suspiciously as he snatched the ring from the pleasantly smiling 'hobo', weighing it in the palm of his hand. Distrust was evident from his posture throughout the entire exchange, and he cautiously bit the ring as a final test–

–his eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock.

The girl continued to smile at him, "Judging by your reaction, I trust that it's enough, right?"

"Y-you…" The server had momentarily lost his voice, "H-how did you… this… it's pure silver!"

"Mmhm," She had a cat-like grin stretching across her face now, and her amber eyes gleamed, "So… it wouldn't be too much to ask for a few cans of tea leaves to take with me now, would it…?"

…

A couple moments later, she found herself facing a gigantic mountain of tea leaves. Well, the entire storehouse, to be exact.

"… Y'know, this really isn't necessary… I only asked for a _few_ cans." She had to crane her head upwards to see the entire stack, and even then she couldn't find the top.

"Silver! Pure silver!" The server boy waved the ring around with stars shining in his eyes.

"…"

Sigh.

Just as she was contemplating how to break the news to him that there was no way she could ever carry around this much tea, the wall exploded.

It _exploded_, exploded as in the entire side of the wall was _literally_ _blown apart _into_ pieces_ in less than a _fraction_ of a second.

Next thing she knew, she was staring at the grayish middle of a horrendous, rounded visage … the shape of a certain creature that she had never wanted to see again.

The girl paled.

"_Get down!"_

She obeyed the shout without a single moment's hesitation as panic overtook her body and she ducked, flattening her body against the ground and wincing as she heard another explosion above her. Her scattered mind was _beyond _simple fear at this moment, where there was only one thought running through her mind.

_Why the hell is this happening again?_

There was a growling sound, and the girl chanced a peek upwards. What she saw when she looked, though…

It was still a monster, that much was for certain, but… its shape… somehow, it was… different. It didn't have one of those rounded shapes with spikes sticking out everywhere, it… it had a feathered body and a bird-like head, complete with a long, narrow 'beak' of sorts, and-

"Come out, come out, little Exorcist!" A heart-stopping jolt ran through her as the monster suddenly _spoke_, a dark gravelly voice cackling manically as the bird-monster pushed off the ground and launched itself into the air, leaving a crater behind where it once stood, "You can't hide forever!"

_Exorcist?_

"Damn it." Her head swung to the side, seeing a tall man crouched down under a few nearby pieces of rubble a couple steps to her left. His face was contorted into an expression of worry and frustration, and his grip tightened on the wood by his–no, wait, that wasn't just a piece of wood, it was… a bow? Now that she noticed it, he also had a quiver filled with silver arrows slung over his back, which made a sharp contrast to the black robes he wore.

"Of all the stupid times to evolve, it just has to be _now, _in a place filled with so many people?" She watched him deftly pluck out one of the silver arrows and nock it onto the bowstring–

"_There you are, Exorcist!"_

Both of their eyes widened simultaneously as the hideous bird-like monster swooped higher into the air and fell into a steep dive, gaining speed and power as it headed straight in their direction from above.

"Shit!" The man cursed, and he suddenly disappeared. She blinked, before something dug into her stomach _hard_, and everything was flying past in a blur–

"Are you alright?"

The girl gasped as she was roughly tossed down in the opening of a small alleyway, and the serving boy was immediately dumped next to her by the man too. How –how in the world had he picked up _both_ of them at the same time, and still managed to escape from that monster? It was –it was –!

"Aww, how sweet, trying to save the humans too."

Her head snapped upwards, as did the man standing across from her, both of their eyes flickering and pinpointing the grinning monster hovering in the air above them.

"But y'know, Exorcist…" The monster's leer widened, and a ball of pure energy began forming in front of its mouth, "You should never be too greedy!"

The freezing chain around her neck was choking her, the panicked, erratic pounding of her heart was starting to bruise her ribcage, and she was–

"Archer of the High Heavens, lend me your power!" The wooden bow was pulled taut, and the man's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as the long silver shaft between his fingers began glowing, "Purify, Arrow of Light!"

She had to raise a hand over her eyes to keep herself from being blinded by the brilliant light the arrow emitted as soon as those words left his mouth. Torrents of light swirled around the arrow wildly as it flew towards the avian monster straight and true–

"Too slow, Exorcist!"

"Che," The man whirled around, deftly mounting another arrow and not even bothering to concentrate too much power into it, immediately shooting at the monster who had re-oriented itself midair and was currently charging them from behind, "Like you're one to talk, Akuma!" he yelled.

_Akuma?_

"Big words," The monster –Akuma– had a devilish glint in its pitch black eyes, flickering magenta lights from its own attack reflected crazily in those obsidian orbs, "Let's see if you have the strength to back them up!"

Then the Akuma screeched; a terrible strident, harsh sound that grated on her ears, and its head snapped forward, beak jerking wide open and blasting the energy it had been gathering up all this time at them. Added to the speed it had been flying at…

The world turned white.

Her arms flew out in front of her instinctively in a futile attempt to block out the imminent danger. Amber eyes scrunched shut tightly, and the chilling weight of the chain around her neck had never felt so… so _prominent_ before.

"F-first day…" Damn it, why was her voice shaking? "F-first-"

"ARCHER OF THE HIGH HEAVENS, LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!"

-the white was gone; everything suddenly cleared, and the girl winced at the bright glare of the sun in her eyes. However, her eyes immediately widened again upon seeing the black-clad man standing in front of her and the serving boy still collapsed in a heap on the ground, bow held in front of him and arrow at the ready.

… It would've made for a dashing, heroic image, if not for the puddle of blood that was forming under his feet.

"Stupid Exorcist!" The bird-like monster crowed triumphantly as it circled overhead, laughing sinisterly as the man stumbled and slammed his bow into the ground in an effort to remain upright, "How very noble of you to protect those humans... but all you've done is ensure your own death!"

"Sh-shut up, Akuma." The man slowly straightened up again, raising his bow and resting his arrow against the elastic string, grinding his teeth together, "You know nothing. Now begone!"

The arrow from this shot was much weaker than the first two, painfully obvious even to her inexperienced eyes. She could only watch on helplessly as the bird-monster easily caught and crushed the silver arrow with its cruel, sharp beak.

"Any last words, hmm?"

"… Yeah," The man set another silvery arrow against the wooden bow, and though his eyes showed that he was resigned to his fate, the determination to keep on fighting was burning strong within those hazel orbs, "Do us all a favor and just die now, Akuma!"

The monster cackled, "Hahaha, not today, Exorcist! _You're_ the one who's going to die!"

Her hands tightly clenched the coarse cloth of the rugged sailor's clothes she was wearing, anxiety rising in her heart as she watched the battle from the sidelines. No, it wasn't even a battle anymore. It was clear that the avian monster was only playing around with the man right now, and had the power to end his life any time should it choose to do so. But even so… even so, even though he knew that as well as she did, he kept on fighting; firing one arrow after another–

"What the hell are you just sitting there for?" The man roared at her when the monster gyrated high up into the sky once more, hazel eyes blazing, "Have you no sense at all? Grab the boy over there and run for it, girl! I didn't save the two of you just for you two to go ahead and die!"

… Die.

Everything seemed to fade away into the background, becoming mere static, and she couldn't make out what the man was saying anymore. Die… she could really die, huh? It was just that… these _monsters_, her mother, her home, _everything,_ everything just… everything just seemed so _fake_, so _surreal_. Even on the ship, panicked and faced with those monsters again, she'd… she'd blindly clung onto the hope that this was all just a dream, and that she'd wake up soon. She'd wake up in her bedroom and find her clothes laid out for her on the side, and she'd put on the dress and get ready to begin another day of studying…

…

… this… it all just… but… despite her hopes, she _knew_… she knew that it… it…

…

It wasn't a dream.

Dreams don't bring physical pain. Right now, she could clearly feel the blood running down the side of her arm from a cut when some of the debris had scratched her. Dreams weren't this vivid, this detailed. She could see every feather covering the monster's body and every blow that the man had to block or parry as he continued shouting at her.

Dreams don't hurt. Not like this.

"First day…" Her mind was worlds away, peering into a darkened world overflowing with black waters and bitter rain, tumbling around wildly… and yet she was still here at the same time, her eyes watching every breath the man took as the monster's claws neared his chest, "I reject!"

The effect was instantaneous.

She gasped as everything suddenly sped up again –when had they slowed down, come to think of it?– and the bird-monster squawked indignantly in anger and shock as its claws rammed into a shimmering barrier that had formed out of nowhere. The black lines drawing out a cube finally enclosed the demon, and the process of disintegration began.

Painfully.

"AAAAAAH! What –what is this?" Feathers were falling, flying everywhere before they disappeared upon hitting the shimmery walls of the cube, "Why –ugh –how –?"

Her fingers unfurled, and she glanced down in surprise when she felt her palms stinging and throbbing. Blood seeped out from rounded fingernail marks, and the crimson fluid stained the rough fabric that brushed over her skin.

Lifting her hands up in front of her face, she curiously studied the scarlet liquid that formed a bead-like shape, steadily growing larger before it wobbled unsteadily and lost its shape, trickling down her wrists and forearms in a small stream. Everything went blank again for a moment when her body moved of its own accord, her head inching forward and her tongue flicking out of her mouth to lick away the blood.

She blinked. It was… sweet.

"No –no –_noooooooo!"_

Her head tilted upwards as she mutely observed the cube breaking apart, and amber eyes caught the merest glimpse of white bone before everything exploded in a sea of dust. The dust rained down everywhere, falling over the ruined buildings, settling on the uneven street…

She rubbed her eyes when a small breeze wandered past and blew a cloud of the dissipating dust all over her.

"Don't," Surprise shot through her as a calloused hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her wrist, and the girl cocked her head at the Exorcist-man questioningly. "You're only going to get more of that stuff into your eyes. And you're bleeding."

Her gaze flickered down to the numerous wounds littering his body, to the deep gash in his side that was still leaking blood, "… So are you," she said in a soft whisper.

"I'll be fine," he grunted, "I've gotten worse injuries than this before. Something like this won't be enough to-" The chestnut-haired man broke off in a pained hiss as the girl poked his side.

"You're not okay," she said flatly, "It hurts… it hurts really bad, doesn't it?"

"I said," A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he slowly recovered from the 'poke of evil' "I'll be fine."

The girl bit her lip at his stubbornness. He obviously needed medical attention, something which her studies had never covered, but from the looks of it, he had no intention of getting treatment-

"C'mon, let's get going now," The man muttered as he turned around, using his bow as a crutch, "Asia Branch isn't too far from here-"

"What?"

He rolled his eyes, "_Asia Branch_. Okay, I know you were a bit slow to react to the Akuma, but I'm not blaming you for anything, alright? That thing is dead now, and I still need to get back to Headquarters after I-"

"Um, hang on just a second," she said slowly raising her hand as if she was still sitting in one of her lessons and asking a question, "I think I'm missing something here. What's this 'Asia Branch'? And that –that monster, you called it an Akuma? Why did -Are they –are they all over the place? Wherever I go, I keep seeing them, ever since that fire, and-"

Her thoughts were messed up. Words kept tumbling out of her mouth as confusion hit her like a sledgehammer in that moment. That monster… 'Akuma'… he'd acted like he'd seen and fought so many of them before, like he was _experienced_, and the way that he talked, and… what the heck was an 'Asia Branch'?

"-the people, they turn to dust afterwards…" her ramblings trailed off as she noticed the man staring at her strangely, "…"

"You mean…" he said lowly, incredulity leaking into his tone, "You mean you don't know anything? B-but… how is that possible? How did you –you used your Innocence on that Akuma just now-"

"I used my _what?"_

"…" He stared at her, wide-eyed and (apparently) in shock, "… You really don't know?"

Confusion. Turmoil.

She shook her head wordlessly.

"Well then, how should I put it…" He scratched the back of his head, "Crap, those Science Division guys never told me how to explain this... So… uh… um, I'm Lin Jinyu… I'm an Exorcist, and we fight Akumas and… well… an Akuma is… oh, damn it, where's a Finder when you really need one?"

"… Explain to me later, then." She sighed, watching him wobble dangerously on his bow again, as he struggled to articulate himself clearly. The pain and blood loss was obviously affecting him much more than he let on, "You should get your wounds treated quickly."

"Right, then…" 'Jinyu' began the long, arduous process of hobbling along with the support of his makeshift crutch, "Let's get to the Asia Branch now then, shall we? They've got medical support there, and the people will probably explain things much better than I can to you –oh, by the way, what's your name?"

The girl briskly caught up to him, swiftly stepping over the rubble and pausing for the faintest of moments to watch the last traces of Akuma-dust drift away. She quickly snapped back into attention through, hurrying along and speeding up her footsteps to walk next to him.

"… Lassie."

He frowned, not expecting anything from her after that silence that had fallen between them, "Huh?"

"Lassie," The girl nodded decisively, feeling a new sort of fire burning within her –one that was so similar and yet so different from the fire on the ship. This new fire was burning away her pain, burning away her doubts, and setting her onto a new path. "My name is Lassie."

…

The seven links of her silver chain that hung down her front glowed briefly before reverting to its normal state again.

.

* * *

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Canon characters will start coming in next chapter as Lassie arrives at the Asia Branch and becomes an official Exorcist. This chapter was more of 'transition', I guess, and I apologize in advance for not being too good at writing action scenes. ^^" Hopefully I'll get better? Feel free to help me and add suggestions!

Please leave your comments and thoughts before you leave. Constructive criticism is appreciated!


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